Merchants will display hydrangeas at their stores, and the colorful plants will be for sale on Indiana Avenue and Woodland Boulevard.

Master gardeners will offer free presentations at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m. The talks and their locations are roses at Pioneer Park, flower arranging at Curry the Florist, lawn care at Stetson Flower Shop, butterfly gardening at Nooklers Ice Cream Shop, herb gardening at Celery City Coffee and orchid care at Clay Pigeons. The master gardeners will also have a booth at Pioneer Park to analyze soil samples.

When festival visitors get hungry, the Taste of Downtown will give them a chance to sample specialty items such as Thai food, seafood, Italian dishes and ice cream. The cost is $5.

Florida artists are invited to submit portfolios for the 2003-04 gallery exhibition schedule at Atlantic Center for the Arts' Harris House in New Smyrna Beach.

Those interested should submit 10 slides, an artist's statement, a resume and a self-addressed, stamped envelope before April 26. They should be mailed to Dawn Yeargin at Atlantic Center for the Arts at Harris House, 123 Douglas St., New Smyrna Beach.

Selected artists will be contacted in May. For information, call Harris House at 386-424-0098 or dyeargin@atlantic centerforthearts.org.

DRAMA CONTINUES

Olga Humphrey's The Exception will continue with three performances this weekend at the Sands Theater Center in the Cultural Arts Center, 600 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand. Performances are set for 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Presented by the Sands Theater Center Stage II, The Exception is based on the life of artist Artemisia Gentileschi, a brilliant painter with a fiery personality.

Karen Poulsen is directing the play, which is recommended for mature audiences.

General seating tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. For reservations, call 386-736-7456.

ART AFTER DARK

The DeLand Museum of Art will host two events this weekend. The museum's Art After Dark will be today at the museum, and a patio party will be Saturday at Caffe da Vinci at Florida Victorian.

Art After Dark -- from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Cultural Arts Center at 600 N. Woodland Blvd. -- will feature food, beverages and works by six featured artists: Barbara Baldwin, Sharon Fithian, Cheri Haring, Brian Kermath, Steve Pi and Trish Thompson. Each artist will bring a variety of works for sale. Admission is free to museum members and $5 for nonmembers.

Caffe da Vinci, on West Georgia Avenue and Woodland Boulevard in downtown DeLand, will be the site of the museum's patio party fund-raiser.

From 8 p.m. to midnight, the cafe will be filled with live dance music, snacks and refreshments. Sugar Bear, of Jacksonville, will be the featured band. Admission is $12.

For information on either event, call 386-734-4371.

STETSON SENIOR EXHIBITIONS

Stetson University in DeLand will host an exhibition of works by 19 graduating art and digital-art majors beginning Thursday and April 19 at three DeLand locations.

An exhibition of 3-D animation and video screenings by Carl Ayala, Jen Corley, John Lucas and Jacob Samandar will begin at 9 p.m. Thursday in Room 25 of Stetson's Instructional Media Center on the north side of the duPont-Ball Library.

The DeLand Museum of Art and Stetson's Duncan Gallery of Art-Sampson Hall will host an opening for works of the remaining artists on April 19.

Works by John Gumula, Ann Hall, Jen Knight, Nerissa Lovell, Amber Osmun, Jason Pim, Chad Renfroe, Stephanie Robbins, Amy Vanschaik and Bekah Williamson will be featured at a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. in the DeLand Museum's upper and lower galleries.

An opening reception for works by Nayda Cuevas, Avantika Hari, Nick Leibee, Shaun Preston and Kathy Wright will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Duncan Gallery.

CONCERT FOR CHILDREN

More than 5,500 Volusia County fifth-grade students are expected to attend Tuesday's back-to-back concerts by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach.

The concerts, scheduled for 9:45 and 11:45 a.m., are being presented by the Daytona Beach Symphony Society and co-sponsored by the society, Florida Power & Light Co., the Daytona Beach Recreation Department and the Volusia County School Board.

Conductor Michael Butterman will take children on a musical journey as he demonstrates how music reflects the countries in which it was composed, as well as other factors that influence music: dance, language, native instruments and cultural differences.

The society also is offering complimentary tickets to music teachers and discount tickets to school employees.